Direct numerical simulations of mass transfer in square microchannels for liquid-liquid slug flow

Abstract

Microreactors for the development of liquid-liquid processes are promising technologies since they are supposed to offer an enhancement of mass transfer compared to conventional devices due to the increase of the surface/volume ratio. But impact of the laminar flow should be negative and the effect is still to be evaluated. The present work focuses on the study of mass transfer in microchannels by means of 2D direct numerical simulations. We investigated liquid-liquid slug flow systems in square channel of 50 to 960 μm depth. The droplets velocity ranges from 0.0015 to 0.25 m/s and the ratio between the channel depth and the droplets length varies between 0.4 and 11.2. Droplet side volumetric mass transfer coefficients were identified from concentration field computations and the evolution of these coefficients as a function of the flow parameters and the channel size is discussed. This study reveals that mass transfer is strongly influenced by the flow structure inside the droplet. Moreover, it shows that the confinement of the droplets due to the channel size leads to an enhancement of mass transfer compared to cases where the droplets are not constrained by the walls.